Love Land
by Lynnlee22
Summary: Billy/Phyllis Fluffy, one shot series leading up to a Philly Valentine's Day
1. Chapter 1

_Lyrics by Martina McBride:_

 _"And only God could have planned, The steps I've taken, That led me to where I am-Love Land._

 _Anywhere you hold my hand, Is Love land."_

* * *

"We don't have to do this you know." Phyllis leaned in closer to him, smiling softly as his arms instinctively wrapped around her. It had been two days since she'd arrived at his door with tears streaming down her face and her heart in her hands. Her greatest fear had been that he'd turn her away, having finally becoming fed up with her constant indecisiveness, but he hadn't. He'd stood before her, listening intently as she spoke. He never interrupted her, never questioned her, never berated her. He simply listened.

Finally, after she'd said everything she knew to say, he'd taken her in his arms and simply held her. She'd vowed to him and to herself that she would never leave the safety and comfort of that embrace again. And for the last two days, she barely had. They'd lived in their own little world, leaving the bedroom only long enough to call for takeout and wait for the delivery. It had been perfect and now they were about to venture out into the cold, cruel world.

"You don't want to go?" She felt him lean back a bit, his eyes reflecting a slight confusion. "I thought you were looking forward to a night out—a little drinking and dancing." He pulled her closer to him again and she watched as a sly smile spread across his face. "I know I was..I can't wait to get you in there and show the whole world how much I love you."

"Yeah…that's kind of the thing. It's just, it's been so wonderful being with you and we've been so happy. I kind of hate to go out there and let the whole world spoil all that." She softly ran her hand against his cheek, her heart dropping at the disappointment she saw in his eyes. "It's not that I'm not proud to be with you. I've never been more proud to be with anyone, but not everyone is gonna feel that way. You know that."

"Since when does Phyllis Abb.." He stopped himself, automatically correcting, "Phyllis Summers care what other people think."

She sighed. "Since it hurts the people I love…the people I care about." Her hands slid slowly down his chest as she felt his chest rise and fall with a deep sigh. "I know your family…"

"Hey. Forget about my family. This is about us. If they aren't happy for us, we can't change that, but I'm not going to let them steal one more second of our lives from us. We deserve this. We've waited a hell of a long time for this."

"You're right. I know you're right." She flashed him a bright smile as he moved to stand beside her, taking her hand and leading her towards the door.

* * *

"Thank you." Billy nodded politely to the waiter as he walked away from the table. He looked over at Phyllis who shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "You ok?" he whispered, reaching across and taking her hand in his.

"Yes. I'm fine. I just really hope they didn't hire any performers tonight because clearly we are the entertainment. Nobody in here is watching anything but us. I mean it's like we're some kind of exhibit or something. Honestly, the people in this town are…" Her voice dropped off suddenly as she saw Billy abruptly stand.

"Billy," she hissed between clenched teeth. "What are you doing?"

"Well, you said everyone is watching us," he smiled. "I figured we were probably not being very good entertainment." He extended his hand towards her. "Come on."

"What are you talking about?"

"Dance with me. If they want to watch, let's give them something to see."

"Billy, I'm not sure this is such a good idea. I mean no one else is dancing."

"So..we'll be trendsetters." Laughingly he beckoned her, leaning in again and whispering "Do you really want to see me hit my knees and beg? Because you know I will. I have no shame. None."

"Alright, Alright," she grinned as she gripped his hand and allowed him to help her to her feet.

They settled into a slow rhythm as he gently moved her across the floor. She could feel the eyes on them, the whispers of the room growing more insistent with each passing second.

Billy pulled her closer to him, his warm hands stroking her back, willing her to relax. "They still staring?" he asked, knowing the answer by the tension that settled in her neck and shoulders.

She nodded.

"They're just looking at you," he whispered. "Just like I am."

He smiled as he felt her forehead brush against his cheek, her green eyes now staring up at him, "You're a smooth talker, you know that?"

"So I've been told, but it's true. I don't see anything else in this room tonight but you."

There were times the simple beauty of his words could stun her into silence. He had a way of making her feel more beautiful and desirable than any man ever had before. Their connection went far beyond the physical. She'd had that before—many times—but this was altogether different. Billy knew her—the real her—the her that she was often afraid to reveal for fear it would be too much, too honest, too real. He knew everything about her and he still loved her, still wanted her, still needed her. It was difficult to comprehend that kind of love and still hard for her to believe.

She felt his hand run through her hair before it gently cupped her face, and she looked into his eyes just before his lips touched hers. The looks and whispers suddenly no longer mattered. The only thing that mattered was this man, this room, and this moment.

Billy pulled away slowly, brushing a lock of hair away from her face. His smile broadened as he saw the smile on her face. "What's that smile for?"

"You," she grinned. "You're quite the charmer, you know that?"

He nodded. "You know you love it."

"I know I love you," she whispered. "And that's all I need to know."


	2. Chapter 2

"I know that look." Phyllis couldn't help but smile as she watched Billy sit back down at the table across from her.

"What look?" he grinned, feigning innocence. Anything he could do to put a smile on her face had become his priority, but he especially loved surprising her. Her eyes would light up and sparkle at him and, for that moment, he'd swear his life couldn't get any better. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Like hell you don't," she teased. "You've got that look in your eyes and you've been glued to your phone all day."

"I'm an important guy. I've got business to take care of and I've been derelict in my duties because something else has been occupying my time lately." He leaned across the table, grabbing her hand and bringing it to his lips for a quick kiss. "Got any ideas of what that might be?"

"I can't imagine?" Phyllis whispered blinking her eyes in quick succession as she leaned in even closer towards him. "Seriously though…what are you up to?"

He laughed. "I'm not up to anything. Since when did you get so suspicious?"

"Hmmpf." She crossed her arms across her chest, her lips poking out in an exaggerated pout. "I don't like you keeping secrets from me." She turned away from him as she saw him stand and walk over to her side of the table. He knelt down beside her, nuzzling into her neck. Try as she might, she couldn't resist and she felt her stern expression fading as the smile broke through. Her face moved towards his seconds before his lips captured hers.

She leaned back, a bit breathless as she looked at him.

"Don't ruin all the surprises," he whispered. "A few surprises are good, right?"

"I liked that one," she cooed. "I could like a little more of a that." Her fingertips slowly trailed down his shirt, toying with the extra fabric tucked into his waistband.

His hands covered hers quickly. "Oh no…I've got a meeting to get to."

She grinned, still close to him. "We can be quick." Her eyes flashed at him as she pulled at his shirt.

"No..Phyllis…I really can't…" She stood her lips now placing soft kisses against his jaw bone and down his neck.

She felt him draw in a deep breath before his hands grasped her shoulders and gently pulled her away. "Later, ok? I promise." He flashed her a smile before giving her a quick kiss on the lips and grabbing his jacket. She stood stunned as she watched him rush out the door.

Billy stood outside the door, grateful for the cool, crisp air. A cold shower would have been better, but in a pinch this would have to do. He steadied himself for a moment before hurrying towards the car. Glancing at this watch, he sighed gratefully. If he hurried, he could still make it.

Phyllis walked slowly into the living room holding the warm cup of coffee in her hands. Her mind raced as she stared at the closed door. Billy had never walked away from her before. Never.

She'd read about this once though she couldn't recall the name of the article. It had been about a couple that had started off as an affair and eventually started dating in the open. Shortly afterwards, they ending things, realizing the attraction had been about the excitement of it all it all and not actually about each other. But that wasn't the case for her and Billy, was it?

"You've got to be kidding me." Billy leaned back against the cool leather seat. In his mind he could see it, the yellow slip of paper with the address scribbled on it. He'd left it on the office table upstairs.

"Damn it," he hissed, throwing the car door open and quickly making his way back to the door. "Sorry," he yelled out as he met her eyes for a moment before rushing up the stairs. "Just forgot some papers I need for this meeting."

Her heart fell. She'd hoped he'd reconsidered, realizing the way he'd left things, but he hadn't.

The last few days he'd been distant. This morning and yesterday she'd found herself in bed alone when she woke up and just now…the bedroom had never been a problem for them. Normally even a glance from her would have resulted in buttons flying, and now this? She took another sip from the mug. Something had changed. Something was different and she needed to know what it was.

She smiled as she stood at the door and waved watching the car pull from the drive. Quickly she pulled the door behind her and jumped into her own car, waiting only a moment to pull out behind him. She followed him at a respectable distance as he drove through town. As he approached the end of the road, her hand automatically moved towards her signal, fully expecting him to turn, to take the usual route towards Jabot, but he didn't. The car continued, straight ahead.

"Where the hell is he going?" she whispered, her foot still pressed firmly on the brake. For a moment, she hesitated, afraid of what following him further might reveal. She wasn't sure she could handle the truth, but she knew she couldn't live with a lie like this. Slowly she pressed the gas and continued down the road.

* * *

Billy pulled into the driveway. It was even more perfect than he'd imagined. Slowly he got out of the car, smiling as he saw her approaching.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" she asked cheerfully. "When you told me what you what you were looking for, it's the first thing that came to my mind. The owners are looking for a quick sale and with the price range you gave me, we could make a very attractive offer."

"It looks absolutely perfect," he whispered. "I mean the yard, the pool, the great big tree in the back. It's even got the screened in porch I asked about."

The agent nodded, leading him towards the door. She pulled open the door, extending her arm for him to step inside. "There's a fireplace in the living room just like you requested, original hardwood throughout, four bedrooms, two and a half baths. "

Billy stood, his eyes studying the rooms. "It's exactly what I asked for, Gwen. It's perfect."

"Billy?" Phyllis stood in the open door, her eyes wide as she stared at him.

"Gwen, can you give us a second?" he said quickly, before turning to face her. He waited until he heard the back door shut before he stepped closer. Sighing deeply, he whispered, "You followed me, didn't you?"

She nodded, tears already building up in her eyes. "I'm sorry. I was just…I don't know…You seemed so strange when you left this morning and I…" The breath left her as she felt his hand brush her cheek and she leaned into his palm, her eyes staring into his. "It's not that I don't trust you."

He smiled. "I know. I get it."

Relief flooded her body as she stepped into his embrace, his strong arms wrapping around her, his hands rubbing soft circles on her lower back. "You like it?" he asked softly, realizing she hadn't mentioned the house.

"The house?" she smiled. "Yeah, it's beautiful."

He could tell by the sound of her voice that she didn't exactly understand. "Well, that's good because I bought it for us." Her immediate physical reaction made him laugh. She stepped back, her eyes wide, her mouth hanging open.

"You did what?" She smiled at him, her eyes sparkling, pure happiness, light, and joy resonating from every part of her.

"Yeah." Softly, he put his hands on her shoulders. "I wanted us to have something that was ours. Not something that my mother gave me and not a hotel room. I wanted us to have a home with a backyard where the kids can play and a fireplace where we can sit at night and a front porch where we can have coffee in the morning." He watched intently as her expression changed a bit. "I mean if you don't like it, if you want to look at some other places, they haven't officially accepted yet, so I can still pull it."

"No," she whispered, the huge smile and sparkling eyes returning. "Don't you dare. I was just trying to imagine what my life would be like without you."

He pulled her close to him, his lips pressing soft against her forehead. "Don't go thinking about that. You're never gonna have to find out. We're gonna start out life together—right here in this house."


	3. Chapter 3

Phyllis drummed her fingers on the table in front of him. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were stalling," she smiled.

"Me? Stalling?" He picked up a french fry and dipped it in the ketchup. "I'm wounded to the core." He popped it in his mouth and chewed slowly.

Leaning back, she crossed her arms as a smirk spread across her face. "Then what would you call it?"

"I'm finishing my fries," he said innocently. "And I'm eating slowly. Research indicates that individuals that eat slowly have a better digestion process. I read it…it's true. Some of us don't inhale our food."

She gasped in mock horror, "Excuse me?"

"I'm just wondering what that poor defenseless burger ever did to you?" He couldn't help but smile as he watched her bat her eyes playfully at him.

"I'll have you know I'm just a little excited. I'm ready to get back to shopping. We've still got a bunch to do." Phyllis leaned down to grab her purse, her hand pulling out the list and quickly scratching off a few things.

Billy's eyes widened as he gestured to the sea of bags that littered the floor around their small table. "How is that possible?" he breathed. "We've bought out the entire mall."

"Not even close," she smiled. "All we've really done is taken care of the living room." She paused for a moment, sitting the list back down on the table and leaning across the table, allowing him to feed her a fry. She took it gingerly in her teeth, taking a small bite before discarding the rest in her plate. "Unless of course you don't think the other rooms are important…." She slowly slid her foot out of her shoe, gingerly sliding her socked foot up his leg.

He heard her giggle as he felt the wave of heat surge through him and he knew his cheeks told the entire story. "You," he hissed, reaching down and grabbing her foot under the table, "are going to make this a very short shopping trip if you keep that up."

* * *

"You know what I just realized?" Phyllis leaned closer to him, letting her head touch his shoulder slightly as she walked hand in hand with him through the busy mall.

"What?" he asked softly.

"That this is the first time we've really been out together. I mean we've been to dinner and stuff, but like really out in a place with a ton of people…where anybody could see us."

Billy paused for a moment, considering the statement. "Yeah," he said tentatively, "I guess you're right. I guess it is." He brought her hand to his lips, kissing it. "It's not too late though—I mean, we could duck into that little corridor and hide if you want."

"Not a chance," she grinned. "I want everyone to know how much I love you and how happy I am to be with you."

"You sure? Even if people are gonna talk?" He couldn't help but worry a little. Since their beginning, he'd been willing to take it all if it meant they could be together, but he'd never wanted to unleash the firestorm on her. Even now, it wasn't him he worried about, it was the way they treated her, the things they said about her—those were the only words that really bothered him. The only time he'd even come close to decking one of those trashy reporters was when someone had called her a slut. If he hadn't been in front of Johnny's school, he would have taken a swing at him.

"Let them talk. As long as I've got you by my side, none of it matters." She sighed as she felt his arm wrap around her. "There it is," she said, pointing excitedly to the store.

"There's an escalator," Billy said, a hint of trepidation in his voice. "That's not at all concerning."

She turned towards him, kissing him quickly. "Oh, come on, it'll be fun. We've got to get towels, washcloths, bath mats, shower curtains, all the stuff for the bathrooms." She giggled as she saw his eyes widen, the magnitude of the list overwhelming him a bit. She stepped in closer to him, stretching on her tip toes to whisper in his ear, "then I thought we might pick out some sheets for the bedroom. You said the kids are coming tomorrow night, right? Tonight might be a good night to test them out?"

"Billy!" she shrieked, almost falling off balance as he pulled her towards the entrance.

He smiled as he quickly caught her stumble. "Sorry," he grinned. "I just thought we should get a move on. I want to make sure we have plenty of time to shop because I believe in a very lengthy screening process."

She blushed as she watched his eyes roll over her . The bathrooms might have to wait.

* * *

"Gimme..Gimme..Gimme." She smiled as Billy held the brownie out to her before snuggling back under the covers and wrapping his arms around her. "You know," she mumbled, pausing to swallow before continuing, "I have to say I'm very proud of us."

He leaned over to look at her face. "For what exactly? I mean…we're very good at this, but that's nothing especially new." She slapped him gently against the chest and he grinned. "Seriously, for what?"

"For getting all our shopping done today." She turned over to face him, clutching the sheets to her bare body. "I mean even with the uh…distractions, we still managed to accomplish it all. That's impressive, don't you think?"

Billy smirked a bit, raising his eyebrows. "Don't you think that's stretching the truth a bit?"

"I do not," she huffed. "All the shopping is done, isn't it?"

"Well yes, but we didn't exactly do it." He watched as a crumb of chocolate fell from her lips onto her chest. She giggled as he bent down and retrieved it with a soft kiss.

"I never said we physically shopped for it, but ordering everything online from the comfort of our bed is still shopping. We still picked things out together and it will still be here and sat up before the kids arrive tomorrow night."

"That's true," he relented. "And I guess there is one other major upside," he grinned.

"Oh really? What's that?"

"Shopping naked." His eyes sparkled at her as he heard her soft laugh and felt her snuggle into his arms. God willing, this would the first of many nights they'd spend together in this bed.


	4. Chapter 4

Billy stood over by the microwave, straining slightly to hear the conversation between Johnny and Phyllis as the stood just behind the open refrigerator door.

Phyllis smiled as she watched the young boy peruse the selection of juice boxes before finally making his choice. "You know Johnny," she said softly, "It was really nice of you to let Katie pick the movie tonight."

Johnny turned, smiling brightly. "Yeah, I hafta sometimes let her you know cuz she's little and she's a girl. She'll cry."

She managed to stifle a laugh as she helped him carry the armful of snacks to the living room where Katie sat waiting on the sofa. "Well, it was still very nice of you," she whispered, "and a very grown up thing to do. You're a good big brother, Johnny." She smiled as she saw his eyes light up. At first she'd been worried about how Johnny and Katie would react to her, especially after having known her as Aunt Phyllis for so many years, but it was true what they said—children are resilient.

It had taken a simple conversation, a few honest answers, and a lot of love, but it hadn't taken long for her to feel truly accepted by Billy's children even if she didn't feel the same acceptance from his family.

"Who wants popcorn?" Billy yelled entering the room with a heaping bowl.

Johnny looked up with wide eyes. "You mean we get to eat it in here?"

"Of course you can sweetie, where did you think we were gonna eat it?" Phyllis glanced back at Billy, confused.

"Mom doesn't let us eat in the living room," Johnny explained, glancing over at Katie who shook her head in agreement. "We can eat in the playroom as long as it isn't sticky food."

"Oh," Phyllis nodded. "Well, that's not the rule here. Here, we can eat in the living room…especially on family movie nights." She couldn't help but giggle as she watched the faces of the two children light up.

"Can we get pizza next time?" Johnny asked excitedly?

"Cheese pizza?" Katie chirped.

"I think that sounds like a great idea." Billy locked eyes with Phyllis as he settled down on the sofa and placed the popcorn on the table in front of him. This was what family should be like.

* * *

Phyllis leaned back, her eyes just able to meet his over Katie's sleeping head. "Well, it was a cute movie," she whispered, shooting him a smile.

Billy nodded. "Somehow I think I would have enjoyed it more if I could have sat beside you," he teased, "Who knew I'd have so much competition." He grinned at her. "They really love you, you know."

"I'm new and exciting," she smiled. "It'll wear off."

"I might never get to sit beside you again," he whispered, careful not to wake the sleeping little girl between them. "You may have a permanent spot between Johnny and Katie just to keep the peace between them. They both want your attention."

"There's plenty of me to go around and I'll make sure I save just a little bit of love for you," she cooed.

"You better." He sighed. "I guess we should get these two up to bed." He looked over at Johnny. "I'll get him," he whispered.

Billy gathered Johnny in his arms and headed up the stairs as Phyllis grabbed Katie and followed.

* * *

"Daddy?" Johnny rubbed his eyes sleepily, looking around in slight confusion. "When are we gonna start the movie?"

Billy laughed softly. "It's already over," he whispered, tousling the boy's soft blond hair. "You slept right through it. You must have had a busy day."

"Oh," Johnny lay down quietly for a moment, clutching his worn teddy bear to his chest. "Where's Phyllis?" he said after a moment.

"She's putting Katie to bed. She'll come in and say goodnight to you too." Billy looked down at his son. "You like Phyllis being here?"

Johnny nodded. "Uh huh." He looked up, his eyes still heavy, but his mind turning inside his head. "Daddy?"

"Yeah," Billy whispered.

"Is Phyllis gonna stay here for forever?"

"What do you mean? Don't you want her to?" From everything he could tell, his children had taken well to Phyllis and the new situation. In fact, they'd handled all the changes better than he ever could have dreamed, but Johnny's questions made him wonder…had he missed something?

"No..it's just…she doesn't have anything on her hand." His earnest eyes stared into his father's. "She used to have a real big ring when she lived with Uncle Jack, but that's gone and now she doesn't have nothing."

"Oh," Billy said softly. "Well, that's because those rings were to show that she was married to Uncle Jack and she and Uncle Jack aren't married anymore." He stopped talking, hoping that would be enough of an explanation for the precocious child.

Johnny thought for a moment. "So, you didn't give her anything? You don't want her to be married to you?"

"Hi," Phyllis said softly, hesitating for a moment at the door. "Katie's ready for you to say goodnight to her," she smiled.

Billy stood up, looking down at Johnny. "We'll talk about this tomorrow, ok?"

Johnny nodded, his eyelids too heavy to protest too much. "Ok," he said softly, a yawn stopping his words for a moment. "Goodnight Daddy."

Phyllis stepped into the room, bending down to kiss the boy's head. "Goodnight Johnny," she whispered. She moved to stand up when she felt his small hand tug on her arm.

"Phyllis," he said softly.

"Yeah."

"You're gonna stay here with Daddy in this house, right?"

Phyllis smiled. "I plan on it. That's okay with you, right?" The smile that spread across his face was all the answer she needed and she ran her hand across his forehead before turning off the lamp beside the bed. "Sweet dreams," she whispered.

* * *

"Night sweet girl." Billy softly kissed Katie's forehead and pulled the covers up tight. "You like your new room."

Katie smiled. "It's pink."

"I know," Billy nodded. "Phyllis found all the pink princess stuff she could just for you."

"I love her," Katie said simply. "I want her to stay all the time."

The simple words caught him off guard and his breath caught in his throat as he stared down at his daughter. "I do too," he managed.

Phyllis looked over her shoulder as she heard his footsteps coming down the stairs. "Everything okay with them?"

Billy sat down beside her, immediately pulling her into his arms. "Yep and you're a big part of the reason why."

"Me? What did I do?"

"You love my kids," he sighed. "And they love you. In the words of Katie, 'we want you to stay all the time'"

She felt tears rush to her eyes. "She really said that?"

"Of course she really said that. Those kids absolutely adore you and why not? You've stepped in and treated them like they're your own. I couldn't have asked for anything more than that."

"They're your kids," she said simply. "I love you. You're the most important thing in the world to me. Anything that's important to you—anything that's a part of you is important to me and will be loved by me. It's that simple."

Billy sighed, pressing his lips against her forehead before pulling her tight against his chest. They didn't need to talk—not about the kids, not about anything. All the needed to do was love each other and their family. It really was that simple.


	5. Chapter 5

"Oh, Thank God you're still here."

Phyllis looked up from her ipad to see Lauren standing in her doorway. She had a laptop tucked firmly under one arm and a pile of files in the other.

"Yeah," she said hesitantly, "I'm supposed to meet Billy for dinner a little later so I figured I'd just leave from here." She pointed at the items in her arms. "What is all that?"

Lauren sighed heavily. "I got a call from one of our top selling handbag designers. They're looking to expand and potentially develop a fall line and they'd like to look into allowing Fenmore's to be their pilot location." She nodded her head as she saw Phyllis' eyes widen. "Exactly," she grinned, "This could be huge for us, but there's a bit of a snag."

"Well we have to fix it..whatever it is. This could be just what you need to get back on solid footing without the help of you know who."

"I know, but he wants to meet with me tonight. He wants to see the big online presence I've been going on and on about and he wants to meet the mastermind behind it." She paused as she saw Phyllis glance at the clock. "It won't take long. I promise. You'll be out in plenty of time to meet Billy."

"Of course," Phyllis nodded.

Lauren sighed with relief. "Thank you." She thrust the laptop and files at her. "I'll drive and you can work on the way."

* * *

"You're serious?" Victoria stood up from behind the laptop, walking around to the other side of the desk to stand beside Cane as they both stared at him. "You're actually leaving…with everything we have left to do tonight."

Billy huffed. "It's not like the two of you can't handle it. Besides you remind me again and again that you two are far more capable of running this company than I am, right? Now's the perfect chance for you to prove it."

"Billy, that's just being irresponsible. We've got deadlines to meet. We've got proposals to finish, ad campaigns to finalize. You can't just up and leave whenever you get bored!" She slammed the file down on the desk and glanced over at Cane. "Can you please try and talk some sense into him?"

Cane shook his head. "If he wants to leave, let him leave."

"See, Cane's ok with my leaving," Billy smirked.

"Cane just wants you out," Victoria spat. "Well at least tell me what's so important that you absolutely have to go now." She stared at him for a moment and then rolled her eyes. "Never mind. Let me guess. You're meeting her."

"Yes, Vic. I'm meeting Phyllis. We're having dinner and I'm not going to let you make me feel guilty about going to have dinner with the woman I love instead of sitting here with you slaving over busy work."

"This isn't busy work, Billy. This is important. These are decisions that you have to be willing to make if you want to be part owner of a company…unless of course Phyllis is more important to you than your company."

"She is," he said quickly. "She always will be. She should be." He took a moment, considering his words before continuing. "You know what, I don't have to explain myself to you or anyone else. I'm done for the night. I'll see both of you tomorrow."

* * *

"I'm so so sorry," Lauren whispered as she leaned in close across the table. "I had no idea this would take so long."

"I know," Phyllis nodded. "It'll be okay. I'll explain it to Billy…it's just a few minutes..he'll understand and I…" She stopped short as she heard the phone call come to an end.

"Everything okay?" Lauren asked, turning towards the well dressed man.

"Better than that," he smiled. "I was able to get in touch with two of my best business associates. Your presentation was so impressive that I'm absolutely certain they'd want to see this as well."

"Mr. Mitchell," Lauren begin, glancing over at Phyllis, "That's very kind of you, but we really weren't planning on presenting anything tonight. We need some time to prepare and…"

"Nonsense..the presentation you provided me was quite comprehensive and it was more than enough to prove your competency. Please—they'll be here in just a bit and I'm certain it will be more than worth your while to hear them out."

Lauren raised her eyes over to Phyllis, who nodded sympathetically at her. "If you'll just excuse me for a quick second," she said softly, "I just need to make a phone call."

Phyllis leaned down to reach for her bag as she saw a woman walk in the room.

"There's one of them now," Mr. Mitchell said, gesturing to the woman in the entry way.

Phyllis sighed and lay her back down. Surely, Billy would understand.

* * *

"And you're sure, there haven't been any messages?"

"No sir—nothing that I've seen and I've been here all evening."

Billy sighed, his heart dropping. "Thank you," he said quietly as he walked back over to the table. He reached into his jacket, pulling out a pen and quickly signing the ticket. Phyllis was supposed to meet him nearly two hours ago. It was one thing for her to run a little behind, or fashionably late, as she called it, but this was entirely different. He'd called her, texted her, left messages and received nothing in response. At first he'd been angry, now he was worried.

* * *

Phyllis pulled into the driveway, her eyes immediately falling on Billy's car that already sat in its usual spot. She'd stopped by the Athletic Club first, hoping to catch him before he gave up on her, but the bartender said he'd already gone.

She turned off the car and took out the key, moving to open the door when it suddenly flung open.

"My God," he breathed, helping her from the car and pulling her into his arms. He held her tight for a long moment, speaking in soft whispers that she couldn't fully understand. Finally, he pulled her away from him, his eyes staring into hers. "I was so worried about you. I called you a dozen times. I left you messages, texts. You didn't answer. I was so worried." His hands brushed the hair away from her face, his eyes shimmering with tears, the obvious fear in his voice making her feel far worse than she already did.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly. "I'm so sorry. I turned my phone off for the meeting and I didn't think about turning it back on. I went by the club and you were already gone."

"I waited for almost two hours," he said softly. "Wait a minute…a meeting? Did you say you were at a meeting?"

She paused. "Yeah. Lauren had a designer that needed to see the online marketing ideas and…"

He turned, walking back towards the house in stunned silence.

"Billy?" She closed the door behind her, removing her jacket and tossing it over the back of a nearby chair. "Look, I'm sorry I worried you. I would have called but there wasn't time. Everything happened so fast."

"There wasn't time? I waited for you for two hours, but there wasn't time to give me a call and let me know you were okay? That you weren't dead in a ditch somewhere? That you weren't hurt? Do you know that I called hospitals? That I drove down all the side roads looking for your car? Do you know what I thought, what I was afraid of?"

Her eyes fluttered closed. "I'm sorry," she repeated. The words seeming empty in the moment. "I wasn't thinking. I'm sorry I worried you."

"it's not just that…you were working. You didn't think to ask me if it was okay that you were missing our dinner plans to take another meeting?" He heard the words as he said them and desperately wished he could turn back time. That wasn't the way he'd meant them to come out.

"Ask you?" The guilt faded almost instantly and in its place was pure fury. "As if I need to ask your permission?"

"Phyllis," he took a step closer to her. "I didn't mean it like that. I just meant, we both have jobs that can be very demanding. I left my work—important work tonight to have dinner, to spend time with you…because you're more important to me than work. I guess I just thought.."

"Don't do that." She glared at him.

"What?"

"Don't try and make me feel guilty for having a job that I'm passionate about, for doing something I love. You can't do that. That isn't how this works."

"That's not what I'm doing. I just know that if we don't make time for each other, really make time…it's easy for things to fall apart. I've seen it happen." He looked at her, her eyes now angry as she stared at him. "Look, there's no reason to get upset."

She scoffed. "Oh, I was upset when we started this conversation. I'm surprised you didn't notice that. Since when did you become the relationship expert? Was that after the third divorce?"

"Damn it, Phyllis! I'm not perfect. I've made plenty of mistakes. My relationship history is trashed, but that's why I want to make this work so much. I want to do things right with you. I just want to try and keep us both from screwing this up."

"Oh, and I'm the one that's gonna screw it up, right?" She sighed, the anger and exhaustion taking over. "You know what—I can't do this with you tonight. I'm just gonna go."

"Phyllis, wait." He grabbed her arm, his fingers wrapping around her wrist.

"Don't grab me like that. I hate when you do that." She raised her hand, poised to strike his face as she felt his other hand clasp hers.

Silence. Their breathing fell in perfect rhythm.

"Well, this is familiar," he whispered, letting her wrists fall from his gentle grasp.

"Yeah," she breathed, smoothing her hair with her hand. She reached down, smoothing her dress down in front. She raised her eyes hesitantly to look into his.

"Hey," he whispered, his warm hand cupping her cheek, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get so crazy. I've messed up a lot in the past, but this…you…you mean to much to me to mess this up. I have to get this right. I want this to work."

She nodded, the connection between them still stronger than any animosity that could ever exist. "I know," she whispered, "So do I. I love you." She sighed as she felt his arms wrap around her and her eyes fluttered closed as she allowed her head to rest against his chest. "I'm sorry we missed dinner," she said quietly, not moving from his embrace.

She felt his chest rumble, a soft laugh emanating from within. "There's still dessert," he grinned, as he slowly led her upstairs.


	6. Chapter 6

"I've talked to all the distributors and we're all set and stocked for the Valentine's Day promotions. A few more marketing tweaks and I think we're all set to pull some really good sales figures for this month." Victoria looked over at Billy who hadn't commented. "Billy," she said, a hint of annoyance in her voice.

"Yeah." The distraction was obvious and he knew it. He hadn't been listening to a word she'd said all morning. All he could think about was the fight he and Phyllis had the night before. Although they'd patched things up and spent most of the night making up, he still felt he needed to do something more—something to prove to her that they were okay. "Sorry, Vic," he said hurriedly, as he reached for his coat. "There's somewhere I need to be."

"Billy," she whined as he headed for the door.

* * *

Phyllis furrowed her brow as she stared at the computer screen. Something was off, but she wasn't quite sure what. She sighed heavily as the phone rang.

"Phyllis Summers," she said into the receiver still staring at the screen. Her face changed immediately as she heard his voice.

"That doesn't sound like the voice of a happy woman," he said softly, as he stood in the kitchen. "Everything okay?"

"Hearing your voice makes it better," she whispered. That much was true. Somehow, even in the darkest of moments, Billy had a way of making anything better. "It's just this application I'm trying to incorporate on the website. It's glitch and I can't quite figure out how to fix it."

Billy nodded. "You know the best thing for that?"

"No," she said, her eyes brightening. "What?"

"Stepping away, taking a break, putting some space between you and your problems." He paused a moment, expecting her to argue. When she didn't, he continued, with more hope. "What do you say, beautiful. Meet me at the house? Let me take you out to an early dinner tonight—to make up for last night."

"Make up for last night? Maybe you remember a different night than I do?"

Billy smiled to himself. "No, of course not, but I still want to make good on those dinner plans. What do you say? Can you make it?"

Phyllis glanced around at the piles of work that littered her desk. There was so much left to do, but it would all be here when she got back. "Give me two hours?"

He closed his eyes, already envisioning the perfect scene. "Sounds perfect. I'll be waiting."

* * *

It had seemed like plenty of time when she'd suggested it, but two hours goes quickly when you're cooking, planning, and setting up. He only had a moment to stand back and survey the scene before he heard her car pull up in the driveway. Rushed though he may have been, it looked beautiful.

"Hi," he said, nearly breathless as he met her at the door.

She looked at him, stopping short. "You're not dressed," she said quietly. She titled her head a little to the side as she saw the familiar twinkle in his eyes—the look that always meant he had something up his sleeve. "What are you up to?" she smiled.

"Why don't you come with me and find out?" He took her hand and slowly led her into the screened in porch, pausing as he heard her sharp intake of breath. Slowly her turned around to face her. "You like it?"

"You did all this for me?"

"For us," he whispered.

* * *

She settled down onto the blanket having left her shoes on the back porch and trading her jacket for a soft sweater. His arms wrapped around her easily as she leaned against him, her eyes staring into the sky. "It's so beautiful here," she sighed.

"Yeah. It's amazing how much different it is just being a few minutes outside of the city, isn't it?"

She nodded, snuggling in a little closer to him. Her stomach growled a bit, reminding her of the food that still sat untouched. "So," she smiled, as she glanced back at him, "What do you have for me here?"

"Personal creations a la Billy," he grinned, "Culinary delights courtesy of these two flour caked hands."

"Very impressive," she giggled, "So I see we have pigs in the blanket. That's very good and that's bruschetta?"

Billy nodded. "And over here we have some pasta salad and chicken salad, and some fruit skewers…and of course…wine."

"Billy Abbott," she gasped, clutching her chest in mock horror, "Are you trying to get me tipsy?"

"I would never," he smiled, before gasping slightly. "I almost forgot the piece de resistance." He leaned over, grabbing the basket that until now was covered with a cloth napkin. He removed the napkin with flair as he showcased the homemade brownies. "I dare say these will rival Crimson Light's confections."

Phyllis leaned back, smiling broadly. "Tough talk," she giggled.

* * *

Two bottles of wine later, they sat propped up against the old oak watching as the sun slowly sank down behind the tree line.

Billy pressed his lips to her forehead as softly ran his fingers up and down her arm. "You cold?" he whispered.

"No," she answered, snuggling in tighter against him. "It's perfect. This is perfect."

He smiled. "I thought we could put some flowers over there so we could always have fresh flowers in the house and over there in that corner we could put a swingset for Johnny and Katie and then maybe before summer we can have a pool and a hot tub put in. Maybe even put one of those big old picnic tables out here so we can eat out here when the weather is nice. The kids would love it." He glanced down at her, realizing she hadn't made a comment. "What do you think?"

She smiled at him, touched at all the thought he'd put into these plans. She motioned him closer to him.

He hesitated for a moment, fearing she was second guessing, wondering if he was moving too fast. Her face moved closer to his, her lips just barely brushing his face. He could feel the warmth of her breath on his skin, the closeness of her body enough to send shivers through him. He drew in a deep breath.

"Phyllis?" It was more of a plea than a question. The exquisite torture quickly becoming more than he could stand.

"I think," she whispered, deliberately allowing her body to slowly brush against his, "that it's time for you take me upstairs…to bed."

Almost instantly she was cradled in his arms, as he moved quickly towards the door. The work, the mess—it could all wait til tomorrow. Nothing was more important than the love they shared, the home they made, and they life they'd live together.


	7. Chapter 7

Billy stretched his leg out, expecting to find the small feet-shaped ice blocks that normally pressed against his warm flesh. He felt nothing—only the cool sheets beneath his body. Slowly, he forced his eyes to open, his arms reaching out, already feeling far too empty without her. He glanced around the room. There was no sign of her.

He yawned, bringing his hands up to face, rubbing the sleep away and swinging his legs over the side of the bed, his bare feet hitting the cool hardwood floor. As he stood he noticed the soft light filtering out from under the closed bathroom door. A smile crept across his face. "Save water," he whispered to himself, "Shower with a friend."

Quickly he opened the linen closet and grabbed a towel, pulling the bathroom door open and stopping short. This was an entirely new side of her—a side he'd never seen before.

The steam in the room covered the shower door with a slight fog which made her silhouette the only thing truly visible. Still, it was enough to take his breath as he watched her clutching the shampoo bottle and dancing around without a care in the world. There was no way he was interrupting this.

There was something unbelievably captivating about her. Sure, she was sexy as hell and she knew it, but this was different. This was her as he always wanted her to be. Happy. Carefree. Living her life and not giving a damn what anyone thought. This is the Phyllis he had fallen so deeply in love with.

* * *

Phyllis stepped out of the shower, the cold air hitting her like a slap in the face. She grabbed for the towel and wrapped it around herself quickly, shivering as she stepped onto the bathmat and reached for the thick, terrycloth robe that hung on the back of the door.

"Billy," she called out. "It's freezing in here. Can you check the heat?"

Billy smiled as he heard her voice ring out from upstairs. "Yeah," he called, arranging everything on the tray, and picking it up. "I'll check on it right now. Just get back in bed for a few minutes and stay warm. I bet the pilot light's out or something."

Phyllis shivered uncontrollably and crawled back into the bed, pulling the covers and comforter up to her neck and burrowing under. She heard soft footsteps enter the room and sat up a bit. "Did you.."

She stopped, her lips curving into a slow smile. "What's this?"

Billy's eyes sparkled at her as he walked over to her side of the bed and carefully placed the tray beside her. "Well," he said softly, trying to keep a straight face, "I was given some very good advice this morning."

"Advice." Her eyebrows arched with interest. "What kind of advice? From who?"

"Well from you actually" He laughed as he saw the confusion settle in her eyes. "I was informed…" He paused, thinking, "Now, let me try and make sure I get this right… 'If I want to be your lover, I have got to give.'"

Her hand quickly covered her mouth and her head fell into the pillows. "Oh my God," she squealed. "You heard me?"

Billy placed his warm hand on her back. "What?" he smiled. "You're cute and you've actually got a good voice. I've never heard you sing before."

"That's because I only do it in the shower…alone…" She cut her eyes at him. "At least I thought I was alone." Her fingertips jabbed at him playfully. "I might have guessed you'd be in there this morning trying to sneak a peek."

"I'll have you know I was actually trying to save the planet. This was an attempt to conserve water…I'm very concerned about the environment. Showering with a friend is a very practical way to go green, you know."

"Uh huh…somehow I think that only counts if you're saving water—not turning showers into marathon…" She watched as his eyes widened. "Never mind," she giggled. "You don't need any help with ideas."

"You know, you haven't even mentioned this early morning feast I've got for you." He leaned in to steal a quick kiss before leaning back so she could survey the tray.

"I see this," Phyllis sighed. "I must say Mr. Abbott, you're becoming quite the chef these days."

"I figure someone in this little family needs to know how to cook," he smiled. He saw her face turn serious and he stopped, reaching out to touch her face. "Hey," he whispered, "Did I say something wrong?"

She blinked, willing the burning in her eyes to stop. It was silly, reacting like this to a simple statement, but there were times—times like this—that it hit her, really hit her. "No," she breathed, smiling at him with tear-filled eyes. "You didn't say anything wrong."

"Well then why are you crying?"

She covered his hand with her own as she took in a breath. "It's just what you said—about our family. You really mean that, don't you? This is our family? We're going to have a family..a real family?"

Billy nodded, pulling her closer to him. Sometimes, in the midst of admiring her spunk and fire, while he was busy enjoying the way she could capture a room simply by entering it, he could forget the vulnerability that lay beneath it all. She kept that hidden, from almost everyone—until she trusted you—really trusted you. If she let you see that side of her that hurt, that needed, that feared, it meant you meant something to her. He hoped she knew how much she meant to him.

"I've always wanted it to be this," he said quietly, not looking away from her. "I wanted it before I was willing to admit it to you—before I was ready to admit it to myself. I had it before, but it didn't work—that wasn't because it wasn't what I wanted…it was because it wasn't who I wanted it with. " He stopped, gently brushing away the single tear that now fell down her cheek.

"You," he said quietly, "You are my family."


	8. Chapter 8

"Morning," Billy breathed as he stepped up behind her as she stood at the counter. His warm lips pressed two quick kisses against her neck as he snaked his arms around her tiny waist. He smiled as he felt her lean back against him. "You're up early," he sighed.

Phyllis glanced back up at him. "Yeah, I figured the earlier I could get to the office this morning, the earlier I could get back here to you." She smiled, already feeling quite comfortable with their new living arrangements. "You're nice to come home to."

"I've got a better idea."

"A better idea than coming home to me?" she teased. "A little brazen this early in aren't you?" She took a sip from her cup as she cut her eyes at him playfully.

"There is no better idea than coming home to you and you know it," he sighed, pulling her against him again as he allowed his lips to brush against her neck once more. "I was just thinking maybe you could take the day off?"

"As much as I would love to do that…and I would…I swear. I can't skip work just to spend the whole day in bed with you." She nuzzled into her favorite spot between his neck and shoulder and sighed.

"While that is a tempting suggestion, it's not what I had in mind. Johnny and Katie have the day off from school today and it's been a while since I've been able to spend a whole day with them. I thought it would be nice to do something together with them. You know..all of us..together."

"That's really sweet, Billy, but I don't want to horn in on your time with your kids. You should get to spend some time with them on your own."

"Well, they kind of requested your presence. In fact Katie said she wanted you to come so it would be fun. Apparently I'm not fun on my own….Go figure."

"Awww," Phyllis giggled, jabbing him playfully. "You're super fun and your kids love spending time with you." She took a breath. It meant so much to her just to be accepted by Johnny and Katie. To be liked, maybe even loved, was more than she ever imagined. "And I'd love to go with you today…Let me make a couple calls and clear my calendar."

Billy smiled. "Sounds great. I'll call Vic and let the kids know."

* * *

"You've got to eat the apple slices first," Billy repeated, trying not to get sucked into the puppy dog eyes.

"But I already ate lots of 'em," Johnny protested. "Like three already." He looked over at Phyllis. "Didn't I? Isn't that a lot?"

Phyllis smiled. "Well, Katie ate three and she's still eating hers…you can't let her eat more than you, can you?"

Johnny sighed, picking up another apple slice and putting it in his mouth.

"What's next?" Katie asked, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

Billy grinned, as he glanced over at Phyllis. "I've got a surprise for you two…something I think you're both really going to like…especially you Katie. We're gonna go ice skating."

Johnny's face lit up, quickly grabbing the remaining apple slices and eating them to speed up the process.

"I don't know how," Katie said quietly, a little hesitantly.

"Oh, that's alright sweetie." Phyllis walked over and put her hand on the little girl's back. "You know what, we can sit on the bench and watch the boy's skate. We'll get hot chocolate and stay a lot warmer that way anyway, won't we?"

Katie smiled and nodded.

"No way. I'm gonna teach Katie to skate. She'll be a natural. Olympics 2032." Billy grinned down at both of them, his hand rubbing the top of Katie's curly hair.

Phyllis stood up, walking towards him and shuffling him away from the table a little. "You know if she's afraid to skate, Billy, it's okay. I really don't mind sitting with her. It's normal for a kid that age to not want to get out there. There's usually a lot of people and a lot of them will be bigger than her and it can be a bit intimidating for a kid Katy's size. Summer didn't start iceskating until she was in school, I think."

His hand found its way into her hair, brushing through to cup her face. "Sweetie, it's really okay. I think she'll be fine once she gets out there. It's just because she's never done it before. If she doesn't want to once she's tried it, that'll be okay too, but I don't want her to give up on it just because she's never tried."

"No. No of course not." Phyllis sighed. That hadn't gone well.

* * *

"Well that was a quick turnaround," Phyllis smiled as she helped Katie lace up her skates.

Billy laughed softly. "Yeah, the pink outfits helped," he grinned, "and the spinning. She looooved the spinning."

"I'm gonna do that," Katie repeated, pointing to another training skater who spun by them.

"Sweetie, she's worked very hard to skate like that. It takes a whole lot of time to get to the point where you can do that."

"Phyllis is right. You'll have to work on learning to skate before you spin—it's kind of like how when you were a baby you had to crawl before you could walk."

Katie stared at him, unconvinced. "I don't remember that," she said simply. "I'm gonna spin."

"Maybe we should get one of those walker looking things," Phyllis suggested, gesturing to the corner where they stood for rental, "you know just until the kids get the hang of the balance and everything. I don't mind walking with it and Katie. She'll need someone with her at first."

Billy nodded slowly, watching Phyllis with great interest. His lips curved into a sly smile as he followed her over to the corner where she retrieved the device. "Phyllis," he said slowly moving so he could look her in the eyes.

"What?"

His smile grew even larger now as he looked at her, now certain he was right. "You can't skate, can you?"

"What are you talking about? Of course I can skate."

"Then we don't need one of those. I'll hold one of Katie's hands and you can hold the other. She'll be fine. If both of us are balanced, she won't fall."

"Oh, I think she might," Phyllis sighed. "Alright, you're right. I can't skate. Well, at least I don't think I can."

"You don't _think_ you can skate?"

"You better be glad I love you," she hissed. "When I was younger, I went skating with some friends and I was doing okay. I wasn't great, but I was upright and I was making decent progress until…I don't know…something happened and I wasn't balanced anymore. I knew I was falling but there isn't anything to grab when you're out in the middle of a sheet of ice. I feel and I broke…"

Billy waited, watching as her face turned a shade of crimson he'd never seen. "What?" He touched her cheek. "What happened?"

"I broke my butt." She shot her eyes at him as she heard convulsive giggles begin. "You stop it….you have no idea how much it hurts to break your tailbone."

"You're right. I don't." He fought to maintain his serious composure. "I'm very sorry. So, uh…you didn't skate anymore after that?"

"Would you?" Her eyes were wide as she looked at him though there was now a hint of a smile on her face.

"Come here." Billy grinned as he pulled her tight against him, pressing his lips against her ear. "You come out there with us and I promise I won't let you fall. I'll hold you up."

Phyllis pulled back, nodding slowly at him, pressing her lips against him for a quick moment before turning to go back and get the kids ready for the ice.

"Hey," he said softly, rushing up behind her. "No permanent damage though—it's still a really good butt."


	9. Chapter 9

He smiled to himself as he walked through the front door. It still seemed a little surreal. This was their home now. It had taken them a long time to get to this place, but they were here now and he was so grateful. Carefully, he placed the cardboard box on the floor sliding it against the heavy wooden door to prop it open. Though he and Phyllis had purchased many new things for their new home, they both still had things that mattered from their respective lives that needed to be here—moments and memories that would make this place truly theirs.

This work—all the heavy lifting, the moving, the sorting, none of it bothered him—it was all a labor of love because this was about them—their house—their dream—their live.

"Billy?" He stopped as he heard her voice call out to him from upstairs.

"Yeah. I'm just bringing in the rest of the boxes. You need something?"

"Yeah," Phyllis took a step back, surveying the remaining room in the closet. "Can you see if there are any boxes left marked clothes down there? I'm pretty sure this isn't everything." She furrowed her brow as she looked again. Her face curved into a smile as she heard his footsteps on the stairs. "You found it," she grinned, leaning in and rewarding him with a kiss.

"One of them," he teased. "There's two or three more and I think I saw one labeled shoes." He cut his eyes as her. "Just guessing but, we're not sharing that closet, are we?"

He couldn't help but be enchanted as he watched her sashay over to him and wrap her arms around his neck. She batted her eyes, shamelessly flirting with him. "That's ok isn't it?" She cooed, running her fingertips down his chest and she grinned at him. "I mean a lot of your t-shirts and jeans and stuff can go in the dresser and your suits—you could hang them in the guestroom closet, couldn't you?"

"Well, I guess, but then where are we gonna put your shoes?"

She huffed, feigning frustration as she pulled away from him, her hand swatting his backside as he turned to walk from the room. "That's for making fun of me," she grumbled, her eyes shining.

"Seems like I should do that more often," he grinned.

* * *

Phyllis sighed as she settled back down on the floor. She couldn't remember a time in her life when she'd felt this happy, this content. Being with Billy was about more than being in love, it was about being genuine, being herself, being able to be whoever she wanted and knowing that she'd be accepted. Billy never tried to change her. He never tried to fix her. In his mind she was perfect and he'd told her as much. If only she'd been strong enough to have walked away from Jack then, they wouldn't have lost all this time.

"No," she whispered out loud, refusing to allow herself to get caught up in regrets today. Today was about starting over, moving on, and being happy. She'd finally gotten in right and that was the only thing that mattered. Grabbing the box, she pulled it towards her, making quick work of the clear tape she'd haphazardly placed across the top in her rush to pack her things.

Billy grabbed the last of the boxes from the moving van. With a quick kick of the door, he let out a deep sigh, relieved that at least this part of the moving experience was over. His eyes scanned the room. The once spacious living room was now filled with an obstacle course of various pieces of furniture, cardboard boxes, and Rubbermaid totes.

A small basket of takeout menus caught his eye and he reached over, carefully thumbing through the contents. Moving or not, they still had to eat.

"Billy!"

The basket slipped from his hand, the menus scattering to the floor. He was on his feet in an instant, taking the stairs two at a time, reaching the door of the bedroom before he even had a chance to answer her.

"What?" he breathed, immediately rushing over to her, "What's the matter? Why are you screaming?"

He'd never seen her quite like this. She stood perched on the chest at the end of the bed, her hand trembling as she muttered hysterically. She extended her shaky finger, pointing. "It's under there….under there."

"What?" Billy demanded.

"A lizard," she whispered, as if the creature might somehow hear her and be able to complete its sinister plan of attack.

Billy laughed softly. "Let me get this straight. You're this freaked out about a lizard." Looking at her now, knowing the cause suddenly made it all the more hysterical, though his laughter was hindered by the look on her face.

"This is not funny, Billy. I hate lizards. Hate them."

"Ok," he sighed, his voice decidedly kinder. He touched her shoulder. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I laughed. It's just…you know they won't hurt you, right? I mean literally….they won't bite you or anything. When I was a kid, we used to play with them. We'd pick them up and hold them."

"Ugh. Keep talking. You'll never touch me with those hands again."

"Alright, Alright," he grinned, "No need to get crazy." He saw her cut her eyes at him again and he smiled. "Why don't you come down."

"Not a chance…not til you find that creature and get rid of it."

"Come on, Phyllis. You're not seriously gonna stay up there. It's probably not even in the room anymore."

"You're right. It's probably not. It's somewhere else in the house…just hiding….waiting…." She watched as the corners of his mouth began to curve again. "Billy Abbott," she began, glaring at him. "I swear I will burn this house to the ground with you in it…"

* * *

"Did you get him?" Phyllis cried, now perched on top of the bathroom counter.

"Almost," Billy groaned. "He's kind of skittish at the moment….can't imagine why. Come on little fella—Come here. I'm just gonna take you outside and let you go."

"In the neighbor's yard," Phyllis repeated.

Billy laughed softly as he stood up, the little green lizard now gently gripped in his hand. "That's right…in the neighbor's yard."

He walked towards the bathroom door. "You don't even wanna say goodbye?" he teased.

"Not even a little bit," she hissed, blowing him a kiss as she hopped down off the counter.

* * *

Billy walked back in the front door. "Phyllis," he called. "You're not coming down? I thought we were gonna get take out?"

"Can you come up here for a second?"

He headed up the stairs, pondering the likelihood of two lizards in one moving box. "Hey, what's…" The words left him as he reached the bedroom door. "Wow," he sighed.

"I happened across this when I was going through the box and I just thought it might be a nice way to say thank you for saving me."

"You don't have to thank me, but uh..I'm not feeling inclined to argue with you. " He stepped closer to her, his eyes roaming up and down the silky camisole. "You know this is my favorite," he breathed.

"I do know that," she sighed, a sly smile playing across her face. "There's just one thing you've got to do," she whispered.

"What's that?" He moved his hand closer to her, his fingertips poised just above the strap of the camisole.

Her hand wrapped gently around his arm. "Wash your hands," she smiled. "You touched a lizard."


	10. Chapter 10

Billy leaned out from the doorway of the bathroom, his toothbrush still hanging from his mouth as his eyes followed her across the room. He smiled before shaking his head slowly and walking back over to the sink to rinse.

Phyllis stepped into the fitted black dress and backed up towards him, waiting for him to help her zip up. She felt his hands on her back, his warm breath on the nape of her neck. His fingertips trailed through her hair as he carefully moved it across her shoulder and delicately slid the zipper up.

"You did that on purpose," he whispered, his lips barely brushing against his ear.

She turned around slowly, her eyes blinking innocently as they shimmered. "Did what?" she purred with a coy smile.

"Showing me what was under that dress." He took a step back. "How am I supposed to concentrate on business today when all I'm going to be thinking about is what's going on under there?" He trailed his fingers down the fabric, his fingertips toying with the zipper once more.

"I just thought," she sighed, leaning in for a quick kiss, "since we were going to be on opposite sides I might need to remind you what's important."

"As if I could ever forget," he grinned, pulling her body against his.

She felt the breath leave her body as pure relaxation settled over her. She never felt as content and happy as she did when she was in his arms.

"I hate that we can't be together today," she groaned, pulling back slightly to look into his eyes. "Somehow it always feels like we end on opposite sides of things. Why is that?"

"Maybe it's because we both competitors…the only way to both be at the top is to be at the top in different companies." He smiled as he gently brushed a strand of hair away from her face. "Besides, you wouldn't want to work with me all day and then come home to me at night, would you?"

"That sounds like heaven," she sighed. "Spending every waking moment with you by my side and spending every sleeping moment in your arms…what could possibly be more perfect?"

She felt his shoulders shake. "And you tell me I'm a smooth talker."

* * *

"I think this is our first official road trip." Phyllis grinned as she hopped into the passenger seat, placing a large bag at her feet.

"I guess it is." His eyes fell on the bag in the floorboard. "What's that?"

"What's that?" Her eyes widened in shock. "Please don't tell me you go on road trips without taking a snack bag."

Billy grinned. "Well, I mean this is only three hours…it's not really that long of a ride and I…" He held out his hands and surrender as he watched her jaw drop open. "Alright," he consented eagerly, "I, Billy Abbott, shall never again leave the house on a road trip with the afore mentioned approved snack bag."

He couldn't help but smile at the wide smile he received in return and he reached out to hold her hand tight in his as he started the car. "So," he began, "since this is our first official road trip and, since I've been informed that I'm woefully inadequate at such adventures, would you be so kind as to enlighten me as to the other rules of road trip etiquette?"

Her laugh sounded a bit like music to him as it echoed through the car.

"I can certainly do that, and major points to you for being an eager learner," she grinned. "First of all—the snack bag which we've discussed. Never leave home without it. Second of all—As a man, you are perfectly content to stop at a podunk roadside gas station for a restroom. As a woman, I am not. I reserve the right to veto all potential restroom locations. It's just the way it is. Take it up with God."

Billy nodded. "Anything else?"

Phyllis eyed him carefully. "That'll do for now."

* * *

"Take this." Billy pulled off his coat and carefully draped it across her shoulders as the stood outside the building.

"Thanks," she whispered, standing closer to him as they looked out over the parking lot. "It's really coming down out here."

"Yeah it is." He glanced down at his phone. "Guess we can chalk this one up to another one the forecasters got wrong. I think this is gonna be a lot worse than a few inches."

Phyllis nodded as she bounced up and down in an attempt to stay warm. "You know, I'm really not all that hungry. Why don't we just go back inside and get something from the little café in the lobby. The lunch break isn't all that long anyway and we wouldn't want to be late getting back." She smiled as he took her hand in his.

"And take the chance of missing a scintillating conversation about data configuration and software design? Absolutely not?" His smile grew bigger as he looked down at her. "Am I the only one that has seriously considered pulling the fire alarm in there?"

"Billy!" She jabbed him playfully. "Internet marketing is a very important part of both of our companies and we have to." She stopped as heard him making snoring sounds. "Okay, fine..make fun."

"I'm just kidding. I just can't really focus for some reason." His eyes were heavy on hers as they walked back into the building, the warm air enveloping them.

Her eyes twinkled with their shared knowledge as she passed him back his coat. "Billy Abbott, you need to focus," she whispered.

* * *

"You can't be serious." Billy glanced back over his shoulder, before leaning back closer to the man behind the counter. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, sir. They just announced. I mean, I don't know if the roads are completely closed or not but they are advising everyone not to travel. It's pretty bad."

"Billy?" Phyllis stepped up beside him, his slumped shoulders giving her an indication that something wasn't going as planned. "What's the matter? Did he tell you where we could get something to eat before we head out?"

Billy nodded politely before stepping away. "About that," he sighed, "It looks like no one is going anywhere tonight. The roads aren't safe. They just issued an emergency alert advising everyone not to travel. We're gonna have to get a hotel and just wait this out. We can head home tomorrow."

"But we didn't bring anything with us." Phyllis walked over to the doorway. "I mean it's just a little snow. It can't be that.." She opened the door, the harsh air feeling more like a slap in the face as it rushed in side. Quickly, she closed the door and turned back towards him. "Looks like we're spending the night," she sighed.

"All of them? They're all booked—how is that even possible?"

Phyllis shook her head. "This conference was a big deal, Billy. People from all over the country flew in. I'm sure a lot of them were already planning to stay and they booked these hotels ahead of time."

Billy groaned. "Well, that may be true, but that doesn't really help us right now, does it?" He exhaled sharply and slumped into one of the chairs in the lobby. He heard her defeated breath and raised his head to look at her. "Hey," he breathed, his voice softer now, guilt already beginning to cloud his brain. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped. I just…I'm really not sure what we're going to do here."

"Maybe there are some smaller hotels?" She smiled weakly, "Something local? Let's ask the guy at the front desk?"

* * *

Billy pushed the door again, stepping inside and glancing warily over his shoulder at Phyllis as she stepped in behind him. "I actually think we might have been better off sleeping in the car." He ran his finger across the top of the tv, a thick layer of dust brushing across as he moved. "This is disgusting."

"Oh, come on…it's not that bad." She stepped inside, placing her purse and briefcase on the small table. "It's just not exactly what we're used to. It has character. It's lived in."

"And more than likely died in….The guy in the front office asked me if I wanted to pay by the hour or for the whole night." He watched with shock as she began to shake with laughter. Watching her had a way of calming him and he soon felt his tension and frustration beginning to leave his body as well. "I guess it's not all bad," he sighed. "I get to spend the night here with you in a seedy motel."

"Every guy's dream," she grinned, "And there's still the matter of what's underneath this dress."

Billy grinned. "That's true, but I gotta admit, I'm a little worried about what's on this bed and what's on these sheets too."

Phyllis furrowed her brow. "You make a decent point."

* * *

"Jesus it's cold out there." He slammed the door behind him, his back leaning up against it while he attempted to catch his breath. "Bad news," he sighed. "Snack machine was a bust. The only thing they had were cheetos, corn chips, and some oreos and they all looked like they had been in there for years."

"I didn't see any restaurants close by when we were talking about lunch earlier," Phyllis sighed, "And I doubt anywhere would deliver in this mess."

"There is one other option."

"If the other option involves the possibility of edible food, I'm in."

"Well, it might be playing fast and loose with your definition of the word edible, but I think it'll work. While I was trying to find the vending machine, I kept hearing this music from across the parking lot. I walked a little bit further and I could see lights from this place. It looks like a little bar…maybe like a local hangout. There's definitely some people in there tonight which means there's probably something to eat even if it's just pretzels and peanuts."

Phyllis stood up, reaching for her purse. "At this point, pretzels and peanuts sound pretty damn good."

* * *

"Well this is…" She took a step inside and looked around waiting for Billy to stand beside her, "interesting".

Billy nodded as he watched the various groups of college students turn and stare as they stood in the doorway. "Yeah," he whispered. "I don't know about you, but I'm beginning to feel a bit out of my element…by a couple of decades."

"I don't care how old they are." She grabbed his hand, pulling him up to the bar. "I see a menu. Let's see if there's actual food."

He followed her hesitantly, still feeling the weight of the eyes of the crowd on them. Phyllis was already perched on the stood staring at the menu as he took the seat next to her. "Maybe we should get something to go," he said quietly. "This really doesn't seem like our kind of place."

"They're college students, Billy—not rabid animals. They're much more afraid of you than you are of them," she joked, patting his arm softly for dramatic effect. "It'll be fine. I want something to eat."

"You know."

Billy grew still as he felt someone walk up behind him. He turned around, a couple of guys who appeared to be in their early twenties stood smiling at him. They both held bottles of beer in their hands and, by the looks of them, it certainly wasn't their firsts of the night. "There's a K&W Cafeteria not far from here…think that might be more your speed."

He couldn't help but smile at the obvious bravado. Ah to be so young and stupid, to have so much to lose and be so clueless as to how quickly you could lose it. "It's all good man," Billy said with a smile. He glanced over at Phyllis who wasn't even acknowledging the comment. "We're just here to get something to eat. That's all…"

"You know this is kind of our bar." Another guy walked up behind him, swaying a bit, his words slightly more slurred. "And we don't just let anyone in here…you have to earn your right to come in here….our version of a cover charge." The group laughed at the joke that only they seemed to get.

Phyllis sighed, turning to face them. "Listen—it's cold, it's miserable and I'm hungry. We came in here to get something to eat and that's what we're gonna do. No one is here to get in the middle of whatever it is you all are gonna do in here tonight. We're not interested, so why don't you go mind your business and we'll sit right here and mind ours." She turned back around, her attention immediately going back to the menu.

"Look lady." He stepped closer, pushing in between the space between the two bar stools, standing eye to eye with Phyllis. "Maybe you didn't hear me, but…" He stopped talking as he felt a hand touch his shoulder.

"You're gonna want to step back over there now," Billy muttered, the deep tremor in his voice easily conveying the intended threat.

He stopped, staring at him, his eyes looking him up and down, sizing him up. "Exactly what do you think you're gonna do about it."

The breath left his lips in a quick spurt. "What the hell is going on here?" Billy looked over at them before glancing back at Phyllis. "We're not here to cause any trouble. All we're doing is trying to get something to eat. What's the problem here."

"The problem is that we let people like you in here and this entire bar starts to change."

"People like us?" Phyllis questioned, her eyebrows arching.

"Yeah, you know…you old people. This bar is for us…we're the people that pay for the drinks and the food and the bands. We keep these doors opens and then you all come in here and pretty soon they'll be karoke and jukeboxes and shit. We don't want all that mess in here. We have our own thing—we've got pool and good music and beer pong and…"

"You think we can't play beer pong?" Billy stood up, taking a few steps towards them.

"You play beer pong?" The group eyed him suspiciously. "You're actually gonna tell me that you can play beer pong with us?"

"No, I'm actually telling you that I'll kick your ass at beer pong." He smiled as he watched smiles break out through the group.

"Alright." He had to give him some credit. They'd been able to run out most people pretty quickly, but these two were stubborn. "You beat us at beer pong, and those two stools are yours whenever you want them."

* * *

"Another round…We need to round another, right?" A raucous cheer rang out from the table as Billy walked towards her. He glanced back over his shoulder quickly before leaning in and kissing her cheek.

"That's very impressive," she whispered. "If I didn't know better, I'd think you might have some practice playing beer pong."

Billy smiled. "Maybe a bit."

"I'm still a little pissed at you thought." She crossed her arms and turned away from him. It was difficult even to feign anger. "You wouldn't let me play."

"Hey."

She melted as she felt his arms wrap around her, their warmth and strength immediately taking her to another place.

"I just didn't want you surrounded by a bunch of drunk college guys. Guys are pigs…trust me, I know."

"Do you?" She giggled as she felt him nibble her ear gently.

"Bill!"

Billy turned around slowly. "It's Billy, actually."

"Billy," the guy yelled a little louder. "Ready for another round?"

"I don't think so. I think we're good. We're just gonna get some food over here. You guys have fun though."

"Nah—you can hang with us…and she can play too."

Phyllis smiled as she saw the look on Billy's face. "See," she grinned, "He says I can play."

"Beer pong's not really her thing, guys." Billy turned back towards her opening his mouth to speak as he saw the slightly perturbed expression on her face.

"I can speak for myself," she hissed.

"I know you can, but.."

"How about some pool, then? We'll make it interesting…play for some cash…"

Phyllis slid off the bar stool, immediately feeling Billy's hand grip her shoulder.

"What are you doing?"

"What?" she grinned, "Don't tell me you'd rather go spend the night in our motel?"

"I'm not supposed to gamble, remember?" Billy couldn't help but smile as he watched her eyes narrow at him.

She leaned in, kissing his lips quickly. "I never said _you_ had to." Phyllis turned back to face the guys with a smile. "I'd really like to play, but I actually don't carry cash, so I'll have to pass." She sighed, turning back around. "Happy now?"

"We could play another way—a better way."

* * *

"Could you just give us a second please?" Billy pushed open the door, the frigid air almost taking his breath as they stepped outside.

"Billy, Have you lost your mind. It's freezing out here. Let's just go back inside."

"I think you need a little fresh air because clearly you're having some kind of episode," he whispered, quickly taking his coat off and wrapping it around her shoulders.

She laughed softly, the spurt of breath causing white puffs of smoke to drift though the night air. "Why? Because I was going to have a little bit of fun? I thought you were good with that. In fact, weren't you just having fun with them? So it's okay for you, but not for me?" She shivered.

"You know that's not what this is about." He sighed, pulling her closer to him. "It's just…I don't like the idea of it….them seeing you..looking at you. It makes me crazy."

She smiled. "You're jealous."

One smile from her and everything was okay again. He didn't know of anyone else that had that power over him. He pressed his lips against her forehead. "I have a reason to be. I happen to know what's going on under that dress."

"Don't worry," she whispered, "I've got this."

He shook his head slowly and opened the door with a sigh.

"Alright fellas," she, "rack 'em up."

* * *

"Okay. One more time, just to make sure I've got everything right…"

Billy forced breath into his lungs as he watched the guys standing around. The way they looked at her, the way they whispered. It made him crazy. They seemed like decent guys—nice guys even, but he knew what went on the minds of decent guys. He was one…and that dress didn't help.

"Scratching…that's when you accidentally like scuff the table with the pool stick? Kind of like when you stub your toe?"

"Exactly," the young guy smiled.

"I think I've got it now," Phyllis grinned.

"We'll be watching that dress hit the floor in no time," he whispered to his friends. "Bet there's something pretty nice underneath."

Billy moved to stand but stopped as he caught her eye. She smiled at him, the same confident smile he'd seen so many times before. It was the same look he'd seen when she'd been planning something brilliant to take down Victor or during their schemes together on Passkey. Phyllis was up to something and when she was all in, he couldn't stop her.

For now, he'd sit and wait…and watch.

* * *

"You know what," Phyllis purred, leaning in closer, "I'm gonna let you keep those boxers because that's just the kind of woman I am."

She took a step back, surveying the table before straightening up and chalking the end of cue once more. The two men on the other side of the table eyed her warily. "Guess it's just us three," she smiled. "You two look cold."

They were barefoot, having lost shoes and socks as well as their pants early on. Now their hoodies and shirts were gone as well. "We uh…we don't really have to finish this," one said, glancing over to the other. "Yeah, I think it's safe to say you won."

Billy rested his elbow on the bar, allowing his back to rest against it. Her first shot had allowed him to relax. He'd never known she knew how to play. There was still so much they had yet to learn about each other. But from the moment he heard her call her shot, he knew why she'd been so willing to play.

Truth be told, he could watch her for hours, the way she carried herself, her confidence, her unapologetic fierce attitude. It was the fact that she was so ready and willing to go toe to toe with him over anything at any moment that made him respect her so much. Watching her hold her own, not just in a bar with some college guys, but in every aspect of her life, was a like watching a force of nature. There were times he felt inadequate and, in a way, undeserving of getting to spend a life with a woman like her, but those moments were far outweighed by the moments of overwhelming joy that came with simply being in her midst, of living life with her, of experiencing each second of each day in a way that only they could understand. She understood him. She got him. They got each other.

The sound of her small footsteps broke him from his thoughts and he smiled as she leaned in, wedging herself between his knees.

"So," she whispered, "Guess we've worn out our welcome here."

He grinned, the sparkle in her eyes sending heat through him. "That's was some show you put on there. You want to tell me where you learned to play pool like that?"

"I'm a woman of mystery," she whispered.

"I'll say. You have any more secret talents I don't' know about?"

She smiled, her face moving in towards his as her lips danced close to his ear. Her warm breath tickled as she whispered, her words making his cheeks grow red.

Billy leaned back a bit, clearing his throat before motioning for the bartender. "Those burgers," he said quickly. "We're gonna need those to go."


	11. Chapter 11

"I'd say someone is sending a serious message here." Lauren smiled as Phyllis slowly turned around to see a bouquet of red roses and a beautifully wrapped package being walked across the room. "Making sure everyone knows you're taken, huh?"

Phyllis scribbled her name on the clipboard, before shooting a quick smile at Lauren. "He's always been good at this stuff," she sighed. "If you'll wait just a minute," she muttered to the delivery man, standing to get her purse.

"No need," he said quickly, "Mr. Abbott already took care of it."

"Of course he did," Lauren whispered, with a sly smile as Phyllis returned to the table. She eyed the box. "Aren't you going to open it?"

"Now? We were in the middle of the.." She stopped as she saw the look on her friend's face. "Alright," she whispered gleefully, barely able to keep herself from ripping into the box. She pulled away the ribbon and lifted the tissue paper to find a simple, but stunning red dress.

"That's lovely," Lauren whispered as she craned her neck to see inside the box. "And it looks like there's a note."

"So there is." Phyllis grabbed the note quickly, holding it to her chest before pulling the small, white sheet of paper out of the envelope.

 _I know we're a few days late, but I hope you can find a little time in the day for me. I provided the dress, all you have to do is put it on. The car will be there to pick you up at 6. I'll be waiting._

 _Love always,_

 _Billy_

"Alright, I'm dying over here," Lauren groaned, "What's it say?"

Phyllis grinned. "He's sending a car to pick me up at 6. He wants me to wear the dress."

"And.." Lauren stared at her, her eyes wide with anticipation.

"That's it…that's all it says." Phyllis paused for a moment, considering whether or not to continue. Lauren was one of her closest friends, but saying the words out loud almost felt like tempting fate. "Oh what the hell…I think Billy's gonna propose tonight," she squealed.

* * *

Lauren walked back over to the table holding out a cup of coffee to Phyllis before taking a seat across from her. "Tell me absolutely everything."

Phyllis glanced behind her. The last thing she needed was the Jabot rumor mill spreading this around. "Well." She leaned forward. "Valentine's Day is…it's a little rough for Billy with it being so close to Delia's birthday, so I wanted to keep things low key this year. We just ordered in and spent the night at home and we decided we'd celebrate on another day. We've never been exactly normal anyway, right?" She smiled as Lauren nodded in agreement. "Anyway, he's just been acting really odd and then the other day I caught him going through my jewelry box. He claimed he'd knocked it over and was just putting things back, but I didn't hear anything."

"And that's why you think he's going to propose?" Lauren leaned back in her chair. "I mean, sweetie, I'm not saying he won't, but don't you think you might be getting a little bit ahead of yourself with this?"

Phyllis sighed. "It's not just that. It's everything. From the beginning, Billy was always talking about the future. He always wanted to make plans for us and now we're living together. We have a house. We have his kids visit. It just feels like the next obvious thing." She paused, considering if maybe she was being too presumptuous. "Am I wrong…do you think I'm jumping to conclusions, here?"

"If I know anything, it's how much Billy loves you," Lauren sighed, "and if you think he's about to take the next step, far be it for me to doubt you." She tapped the file folders in front of her. "Now, let's get this wrapped up. You've got a very important date to get ready for."

* * *

Phyllis bounced and shuffled, hugging herself in an attempt to keep warm. The February wind was especially chilling now that the temperature was beginning to drop as the sun was setting. She had a coat, but it didn't work with the dress and she wasn't about to sully this look simply to stay warm.

A soft sigh escaped her lips as she saw the car pull into the parking structure. A driver stepped out and opened the door for her. She leaned in, surprised not to see Billy inside.

"Billy's not…" She looked over at the driver, "Are we picking him up?"

"Mr. Abbott is already at the restaurant," he smiled.

Phyllis nodded as she waited for the driver to close the door and return to the driver's seat. She leaned back, closing her eyes as the soothing warmth of the car enveloped her. It made sense that he'd get to the restaurant early. Surely he had some things to set up. Billy wasn't one to do things simple. He almost certainly had some elaborate setup planned. She was happy to wait and see. In a few short hours, she'd be the happiest woman in the world.

* * *

"Have I told you how absolutely gorgeous you are tonight? I mean you're gorgeous every night, but tonight especially?" He pulled her closer to him as they gently swayed across the dance floor.

Phyllis smiled as she felt his lips brush against her cheek. It had been an extraordinary evening. Billy had planned a beautiful dinner at a romantic French restaurant that he knew she loved. He'd had the entire place reserved especially for them. It was as if they were in their own private world where nothing could touch them. Dinner had been all of her favorites and they'd talked and laughed and just enjoyed being together. Neither of them had been preoccupied with work or family or anything else. They'd focused solely on each other. She relaxed as she leaned into him, enjoying the feeling of his strong arms around her.

"How about some wine?" he said softly as he locked eyes with the waiter.

"You know what, I'm actually okay." Phyllis smiled as she took a seat.

"No wine? Alright, dessert then? I hear they have an amazing chocolate mousse." He laughed softly as he watched her eyes perk up at the mention of chocolate. "Two of those," he smiled as the waiter headed back towards the kitchen.

Phyllis reached across the table, her fingertips lacing through his. She just had to be patient. He was waiting for just the right moment. He had a plan and she just had to trust that. Everything would happen exactly as it was supposed to. He'd ask and then she'd tell him. Then they'd both be happy….exactly the way it was meant to be.

* * *

"You ok?" Billy stepped inside, holding the door for her to walk in before closing the door behind them and stepping in himself, "You've been pretty quiet since we left the restaurant."

She forced herself to smile. She was being silly. It was her own fault…setting herself up to be disappointed. Lauren had been right—there was no reason to think Billy was planning anything. She was expecting too much too soon…it's just with…it would have made things so much easier. Now, she didn't know…

"I'm fine," she said, her words rushed, as she turned towards him presenting a forced smile. "Why wouldn't I be? I just spent the perfect quasi-Valentine's day with the man that I love and now we get to home to our house." She leaned against his chest and closed her eyes as his arms pulled her tight against him. The feel of his lips against her forehead were soothing—a reminder that even though things hadn't gone as planned, she still had everything she wanted.

"You know what," he whispered. "Wait right here…I still have one gift for you."

She opened her mouth, her breath almost instantly catching in her throat. Her heart beat faster. Maybe this was it. Maybe she hadn't been wrong.

Billy returned to the room holding in his hand a black gift bag.

Phyllis blinked as she lowered herself onto the sofa. She turned towards him as he sat down beside her. "It's so…big." Her words were slow as she tried to process.

"Yeah," he said quietly, "But what's inside isn't. Why don't you open it?"

She reached inside, her hand trembling as her fingertips fell on the cool silk. "Oh," she whispered, her eyes burning slightly as she slowly pulled out the black, lace negligee. "It's…It's beautiful."

"What's wrong?" He could see the look in her eyes as he furrowed his brow. His soft hands were on her face and then sliding down her neck.

"Nothing." She couldn't show her disappointment, and she shouldn't even be disappointed—she had no right to be. He hadn't done anything wrong. She just wanted….it didn't matter…. She took a breath. "Nothing," she whispered, leaning close enough to him to brush her lips against his, "Nothing's wrong."

Relief flooded her body as she saw his lips curve into a soft smile. "Alright," he mumbled, "Why don't we go upstairs and then you and I can finish our celebration there?"

"That sounds perfect. I'll be up in just a second. I just need to take care of one quick thing first."

Billy nodded, standing with her and planting a series of quick kisses down her neck before stepping away. "Don't be long," he whispered, picking up the negligee, "Can't forget this."

She smiled as she watched him head upstairs.

Phyllis stood still for a moment before walking over the closet. She shuffled the boxes and bags on the top shelf before finding the small white boxed topped with a red bow. Carefully she removed the top, a tear running down her face as he eyes settled on the contents inside. Tonight should have the perfect moment. The timing was perfect. He'd ask her to marry him and she'd say yes. They'd come home and she'd give him his gift.

It had taken her months to get everything perfect. She knew nothing about motorcycles which made getting one custom built almost impossible, but this was something she knew Billy would love. Nothing was too good for him. Once she saw it, the completed project, she knew how happy it would make him and that simple knowledge made all the hard work worth every single second.

The second part of the gift had been much more recent and far more unexpected. She'd been working like a crazy person, getting almost no sleep, and spending time with the kids who regularly had some sort of sniffle or cold. She simply assumed she'd caught something from them. The only reason she'd even gone to the doctor was to try and get something to help get her energy back so she could get back to working late and going in early. Instead she found out she was pregnant. She and Billy were going to have a baby. That day she went out and found it—the tiny onesie that read "Daddy's Ride or Die". Instantly, she'd known it would be the perfect gift—the gift he'd want more than anything. But now, she couldn't tell him this now.

She'd tell him of course, but…

"Phyllis?"

She jumped, shoving the onesie back onto the top shelf and placing the top back on the gift box. He'd love the motorcycle tonight. The rest would come later. Quickly she closed the closet door, and headed upstairs.

* * *

"Hey," he whispered, his face falling a bit as she walked into the room. "No offense, beautiful, but you're still very overdressed. You better get in there and take care of that." He gestured towards the open bathroom door where she could see the negligee laying on the counter.

She smiled. "One second." Phyllis stepped inside the bathroom, quickly pulling the door behind her. Her hand shook as she placed the box on the counter. The tears stood at the ready behind her eyes. One shaky breath and they would come pouring down her cheeks. But how would she explain it?

Billy stood, his footsteps soft as he walked over to the closed door. He leaned in close. He hadn't missed the looks, the glances, the slight disappointment in her eyes every time he asked her a question that was _the question_. He smiled to himself. It had all gone better than he ever could have hoped. Phyllis was smart and incredibly hard to keep things from. He was all but certain she'd figured out that he'd planned to ask her to marry him tonight and he'd done everything he could to throw her off.

"Enough." She said to herself as she stared into the mirror. She ran her hands across her face as she took a deep breath. Slowly she unzipped the dress and reached for the negligee her eyes falling on what lay on top.

Billy smiled as he heard her sharp intake of breath. He stood. Still. Waiting.

The door opened slowly. She stood, dress hanging off her shoulders, tears already streaming down her cheeks as she stood there. Her hand trembled as she held the ring out to him. "I thought," she managed before the tears cut her words off.

He smiled, covering her hands with his and kissing them softly. "You didn't think I'd let you down did you?"

She was laughing and crying at the same time and it was all glorious. "You never have," she sighed, "You never ever have."

"I'm gonna do this right," Billy said with a smile as he lowered himself down to the floor. "Phyllis Summers, Will you marry me?"

"Like you even have to ask…"she laughed. "Of course I'll marry you." His lips crashed against hers as he lifted her off her feet and turned towards the bed.

"Wait," she said, pulling away from the kiss. "I haven't even put the lingerie on yet," she smiled.

"That's okay," he whispered, his lips still hovering close to hers. "I'm a business man. I like efficiency."

* * *

"Not that I need anything else…"

She raised her head slightly from its resting place on his bare chest, "Hmmm?"

"When you walked in her earlier, you had something in your hand…it looked like a present. What was it?"

He felt her body jerk to attention as she sat up, pulling the sheet tight around her.

"Oh," she said quickly. Phyllis wrapped the sheet around herself as she reached for the robe she'd thrown across the nightstand. "I need to go get something."

Billy lay dumbstruck for a moment. "Wait..you don't have to go now. We were…This was nice. Come back here." He sat up, smiling as he heard her feet on the stairs. "Phyllis," he called. "I miss you."

"I'll be right back," she yelled, running over to the closet and spying the onesie on the top shelf. She clutched it tight to her chest as she ran back up the steps, avoiding his eyes as she headed back into the bathroom and placed it back in the giftbox underneath the motorcycle photo.

She sighed as she felt the warmth of his body closing in the space behind her. His arms wrapped around her and carefully blazed a trail of kisses down the cool skin of her neck. "What are you up to?"

"You'll see," she whispered, turning around in his arms , and holding out the box. "This is for you."

"You didn't have to get me anything. I have everything I could ever want right here."

"Trust me, this is something you'll want," she grinned. She took his hand and led him back over to the bed. "Open it."

Billy pulled the top of the box off, his eyes widening immediately as he saw the photo of the bike. "This is amazing," he said. "What is this?"

Phyllis grinned proudly. "It's your new bike."

"You did this?" He leaned in, kissing her. "It's…I don't even know what to say. I love it. It's…" He lifted the picture, his eyes falling on the object underneath.

She held her breath, watching him as his eyes read the words. He said nothing for a moment, simply reading the words again and again. He turned, his eyes finally meeting her gaze, the brown orbs now shining with tears "You're?"

Not trusting her own words, she simply nodded.

He smiled. "That's why you were so…"

She nodded again, tears now streaming down her face. Her hand lifted up to touch his as he reached out to brush away the tears, just as he always did—just as he always would.

"All of a sudden I've forgot how to talk," he breathed, a laugh breaking out.

"It's okay," she sighed, relaxing into his arms as he held her. "You don't have to say anything."

"I love you," he whispered. "I didn't think I'd get another chance…I'm not even sure I deserve it, but I'm so grateful and I promise you that _you_ …" He stopped, grabbing her hand and looking down at her ring, " _This"_ He pressed his hand against her still flat stomach, _"Our family_ -You're everything to me. You always have been and you always will be."


End file.
